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My blog has been changed to make it more appealing for those who have New England ancestors and want to see the area through photos. Things I’ll include are typical white New England churches, libraries showing their genealogical collection, historical societies, cemeteries, war memorials, in general, anything to do with history.

For four years I’ve blogged mostly about my personal genealogy in New England (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire), New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada. I still will, can’t forget my own roots.

Please check out the labels on the right side for articles. The header tabs at the top are a work in progress.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Follow Friday -- How can 3 Death Records be wrong?

The three death certificates shown below, for the same person, are not 100% correct. The first one, has my 2nd great-grandmother's name totally wrong. She is listed as Fanny McGleason Pool and it should be Frances "Fanny" M. Gleason Poole (4 errors in the name). Since I liked the colorful green record, I made a quick call to Brookline, Massachusetts to get a corrected copy.

Corrected copy below.

Corrected copy, but the last name is still wrong.

There is no listing for the maiden name of mother, although it was clearly on the original record.

Name of cemetery isn't listed, although it was clearly on the original record.

Original state Death Record, obtained several years later was also filled with errors.

Name should be Frances M. Gleason

Husband's name should be spelled as William F. Poole

Maiden name of mother is incorrect, should be Fanny Belden Hubbard (error of informant)

Informant's name should be spelled as William F. Poole (son)

(Clearly the informant didn't proof this, as he would have noticed his name spelled wrong.)

Lesson learned: get a copy of the original, but don't assume it is correct.

Hi Ginger, first, the original doesn't need the word certified on it. When I ordered a copy from the town, I asked for certified and they usually have a seal like the ones above or an embossed seal. Thanks for writing.

Wow, did you see Martin Holleck's blog post today. They are not on the same topic, really, but they both complement each other so well. Marriage records vs. death records. Now I really know why death records are not considered primary source material!

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I've been a retired, quiet, genealogy fanatic for 23 years. It's a hobby I do for fun and to help others.
Why not use the Search My Blog feature (directly below) to put in some key words. If you wish to contact me, please write at: Barbara.trees4u@gmail.com.